One of the places we wanted to visit was Alcatraz. Many of our kids haven't been there, so we were excited to take them! The way over to the city is always a gamble. You never know how bad traffic will be. Unfortunately, a lot of people were out on this day and we hit slow traffic. We were getting a bit anxious that we wouldn't make it. Mom and Dad had left after us and we had no way of telling them that traffic was bad. They do have a cell phone, but it is for emergencies and it isn't usually on. We parked and quickly walked over to the board the boat that would take us to Alcatraz. All the while we hoped we would see Mom and Dad. Dad wasn't feeling his best and we were afraid he wouldn't be able to walk fast enough to get there in time. Luckily, as we walked we spotted their car. They pulled over and let Dad get out. Chad hopped in and he and Mom parked the car. Time was still pretty tight, but in the end we all made it onto the boat before it left. I'm pretty sure we were the last people on though!
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| Shannon Ashton Photography |
Mom and Dad took the quick route via tram and we walked the walk! We enjoyed the beautiful views of the bay and area communities while we walked past patches of wild flowers.
When we reached the top we entered the cell house, rows upon rows of prison cells. It is quite daunting as you think of all the men that once made these cells their unwanted homes.
As we walked around the cell house listening to our audio tour guide I was impressed with how keenly all the kids were listening. They were very interested in what had happened here so many years before. Since we knew we would be visiting Alcatraz, we showed the kids the movie, Escape from Alcatraz. It was a great introduction to Alcatraz and made the boys even more excited to be on the actual island. It also brought up many questions and observations!
The place is amazing and it is incredible to think that three men were able to escape (although they were never found). I idea of living at Alcatraz for the rest of their lives must have been the motivation that made them do it.
During the tour we took some time out to take a family picture. It was extremely windy (as it always is in the bay), but it was a beautiful spot for a picture! It's so fun to go on day trips like this with all of our family! We don't get to be with everyone very often, so we enjoyed every minute!
As we walked back inside to finish the tour I spotted Mom and Dad holding hands. Dad was a little unsteady and Mom was right there to help him along! It was such a sweet scene.
When the tour was over we headed back down the hill to wait for the next boat. We enjoyed resting our feet a little while the kids laughed and talked.
More beautiful scenes on the boat trip back.
Once back on land we headed over to Pier 39. I love Pier 39! It brings back so many fun memories from my youth!
Everyone was pretty hungry, so we headed over to Boudin for some good eats!! They have delicious sourdough bread! We enjoyed every bite!!
We couldn't call it quits after that, though, we headed over to Ghiradelli for some scrumptious ice cream!
Shannon Ashton Photography
After getting our fill we said goodbye to Mom and Dad, who were heading back home, then we headed over to get a closer look at the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion. The kids loved running around, but it was getting chilly, so we didn't stay that long.
Next we headed over to an area that overlooks the bridge. We had fun taking more pictures and watching the sunset! So beautiful!
Before heading back home for the night, we stopped at the Painted Ladies. They are a row of iconic townhouses in San Francisco. They are all painted in different colors. It is a favorite tourist picture spot. Seeing the Painted Ladies reminded me of growing up watching the TV show "Full House"! It is especially pretty at night when you see the skyscrapers standing boldly in the background.
I'm so glad we were able to go to the city and make new memories with our family!
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